Bruce Kaji, Japanese American National Museum; Patricia Wakida, JANM; Phyllis Hayashibara, VJAMM; Doug Messerli, Sun and Moon Press, discuss “May Sky: There is Always Tomorrow,” haiku written by internees at assembly centers and American concentration camps.

April 25, 2011: Symbolic “ground breaking” ceremony at Venice and Lincoln Boulevards followed by fundraiser at Hama Sushi Restaurant in Venice

Aya Masada, Yosh Tomita, Brian Maeda Reverend John Iwohara, and Arnold Maeda attend the Press Event marking the site of the proposed VJAMM.

LA City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, 11th District lends political and financial support for the VJAMM. VJAMM Committee members and supporters and former Manzanar internees pose with Mrs. Hayashibara’s United States History students from Venice High School displaying their Japanese American internment haiku posters.

VIP Reception guests enjoy Sushi Girl ® sushi, Feast from the East chicken salad, and Sakura cupcakes; with music from the Shoo Flies and the Songbird of Venice Suzy Williams and the Songbird of Manzanar Mary Nomura.

2012 February 24: VJAMM model steel frame at Joe Belli’s workshop

Eric Schmid welds the steel frame together and attaches casters for ease of movement.

Jose expertly adheres lettering and images from Fast Signs on the VJAMM model.

2012 April 25: VJAMM commemorates 70th anniversary of forced removal from corner, followed by VJAMM fundraiser at Hama Sushi Restaurant in Venice

Former Manzanar internees and VJAMM Committee members pose with LA City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, 11th District, and Manzanar National Historic Site Superintendent Les Inafuku with full-scale model of the VJAMM.

Esther Chaing of Hama Sushi in Venice donates 100% of the profits from the special bento lunch and 10% of all dinner sales to the VJAMM Committee.

2012 April 27: Forty-third Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage at Manzanar National Historic Site

2015 September 20: Eleventh Annual Constitution Day Conference for Educators at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley

Janice Iwanaga Yen, Kathy Masaoka, (Phyllis Hayashibara of the VJAMM C0mmittee), and Patty Nagano of the Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress Education Committee present “Stand Up for Justice: The Ralph Lazo Story.”

2015 September 27: VJAMM and VAC share a booth at the Abbott Kinney Festival

Suzanne Thompson and Regina Barton staff the informational booth.

2015 December 4: VJAMM and VAC table at the 4th annual Venice Holiday Sign Lighting at Windward and Pacific

Phyllis Hayashibara and Zed Aquarian staff the information table.

2016 March 15: Williams Monument Company in Arvin

VJAMM Committee members Phyllis, Alice, and Suzanne hand-deliver the deposit check to David Williams.

2016 April 27: Fifth Annual VJAMM Fundraiser at Hama Sushi

The Williams Family joins the fun at Hama Sushi, and David Williams speaks to the audience about his appreciation for history, and the importance of the VJAMM.

2016 April 30: 47th Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage

Suzanne, Mae, and Alice meet with Brian and Valerie for the weekend at Dow Villa in Lone Pine.

2016 July 26: Arnold’s 90th birthday celebration at Hama Sushi

Nikki baked a chocolate cake with banana and cream filling, and presented it to Arnold at the VJAMM Committee meeting at Emily’s. Committee members met at Esther Chaing’s Hama Sushi Restaurant in Venice for dinner.

Kay, Esther, Arnold

2016 August 26: VJAMM obelisk in India

Workers in India shape, polish, drill, crate, and load the VJAMM obelisk into a shipping container, bound for port in the Bay Area. ETA first week of October, 2016.

2016 September 25: Abbot Kinney Festival

Abbot Kinney Festival Association Community Grants Program awards $1,700.00 to the VJAMM Committee to fund the development, layout, printing, advertisement, distribution, and website maintenance of the 5th 8th, 11th, and 12th grade curricula on the Japanese American internment and the Venice Japanese American Memorial Monument.

2017 April 19: Pick up of the VJAMM from Williams Monument Company in Arvin

United Riggers and Erectors crane-lift the 12,500 pound solid granite VJAMM onto a flat bed truck for transport to Walnut until installation in Venice.

2017 April 22: Installation of the VJAMM on the northwest corner of Venice and Lincoln

VJAMM Committee members Phyllis Hayashibara, Arnold Maeda Alice Stek, and Emily Winters witness the historic installation of the VJAMM obelisk from 8:00 am to 11:00 am. Bruce Baird, Femy, Jimmy Fukuhara, Ron Gee (thank you, Ron, for posting your album!), and Vincent Ramos join the spectators and photographers. Thank you to Emily and David Williams of the Williams Monument Company; Tony, John, and Ruben of United Riggers & Erectors; Todd and Eric of The Permit Company; Hal of Anglemyer Crane; and David Perka of Los Angeles GSD Construction Forces Division for the amazing coordination of your professional efforts in the installation of the Venice Japanese American Memorial Monument!

Emily and David Williams, Phyllis, Arnold, Alice, Emily Winters

United Riggers and Erectors: Ruben, Tony, and John, with LA City’s David Perka

2017 April 23: Sawtelle Stories Forum 14 includes VJAMM presentation on process for approvals and permits

Thank you to Naoko Matsumura, Esther Chaing, and Tony Kim of Hama Sushi in Venice

2017 April 29: Forty-eighth annual Manzanar Pilgrimage

Warren Furutani mentions the VJAMM in his keynote address at the Manzanar Pilgrimage! The 48th annual Manzanar Pilgrimage commemorates the 75th anniversary of Executive Order 9066 and draws over 2,000 participants.

2017 May 26: Los Angeles City Board of Public Works

The VJAMM Committee receives a Certificate of Recognition from the Los Angeles City Board of Public Works for successfully building and installing the VJAMM, in partnership with the Board of Public Works and its Adopt-a- Median Program of the Office of Community Beautification.

Senior and Junior Girls Scouts of Troop 5324 clean the VJAMM with Windex and sweep up sidewalk debris between the two bus shelters on Venice and Lincoln. Esther Chaing of Hama Sushi Restaurant in Venice donates 100 pieces of sushi for lunch.

2017 June 20: VJAMM thanks Venice Neighborhood Council

VJAMM Committee members Suzanne Thompson, Phyllis Hayashibara, Emily Winters, and Alice Stek thank the Venice Neighborhood Council at its meeting at Westminster School, for VNC’s unanimous support for the VJAMM on June 15, 2010, and for Ira Koslow’s motion for increasing funding for VJAMM’s Community Improvement Project to $1,300.00 on May 24, 2011. VJAMM distribute copies of the VJAMM Dedication Program, April 27, 2017.

The Venice Historical Society organizes one of their quarterly lectures on the lives of Japanese Americans, before, during, and after World War II, and invited the former Manzanar incarcees to the Oakwood Recreation Center for a panel discussion. Over 70 people attend, and the Venice Historcial Society signs up 5 new members, which VHS President Jill Prestup considers a rousing success.

2017 July 15: Junior Young Buddhist Association members from the Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple maintain the VJAMM

2017 July 25: VJAMM thanks the Santa Monica City Council

Emily Winters, Suzanne Thompson, Alice Stek, Phyllis Hayashibara, and Fehmi Yildirim present copies of the VJAMM Dedication Program to the Santa Monica City Council members. Council was in closed session, however, so Dedication programs were left with the City Clerk.

With 11th District Senior Field Deputy Len Nguyen, VJAMM Commitee members Emily Winters, Phyllis Hayashibara, Suzanne Thompson, Jennifer Tomita, and Kay Brown accept the framed Certificate of Appreciation and the Manzanar baseball from Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin. The VJAMM Committee presented the framed Certificate of Appreciation to Jennifer Tomita, in memory of her late father and VJAMM Commitee member Yosh Tomita.

9/11 commemoration includes presentation of 1,000 cranes made by Camp Musubi (Tony Osumi, advisor) from Venice-West Los Angeles Japanese American Citizens League to Mohammed Abdul Aleem and his wife, Maleeha, of the King Fahad Mosque in Culver City.

2017 October 20: Presentation of 1,000 cranes to the King Fahad Mosque

Amy Watanabe, Annia Yoshizumi, Phyllis Hayashibara, Suzanne Thompson, Joanne Tsuichika, Rie Watanabe, and Nabika Aleem kneel on the carpet in the men’s prayer room after 1 pm prayer service. Dr. Jimmy Hara, standing between the framed cranes, shared the story of Sadako and the 1,000 cranes, and the world peace that the 1,000 cranes came to symbolize.

Mohammed Abdul Aleem and his family present to the King Fahad Mosque the framed 1,000 cranes from the Venice-West Los Angeles JACL.

2017 November 4: J-Town/Bronzeville Suite at the Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute

Dave Iwataki’s J-Town Bronzeville Suite brings traditional Japanese instruments to a jazz quartet, in commemoration of the Bronzeville era of J-Town, when African Americans moved into business and residential spaces in Little Tokyo after the forced removal and incarceration of persons of Japanese ancestry during World War II.